Updates & Stories

When it comes to our ideas and opinions on the environment, my crew usually splits into two camps. One side fights for the trees and increasing sustainability, while the other advocates our efforts towards conservation and restoring the environment to what it once was.  Read More

Employees of the Enterprise fleet management department spent an afternoon working with a Corps crew to clean up an area of Lilydale Regional Park in Saint Paul. Thirteen people joined the YO2 crew of four to haul brush left from an earlier buckthorn removal project.  Read More

The end of the water trails season is coming to a close and over the past six months I’ve written about a week in the life of a water trails crew, lessons learned on the river, the perils of portaging, the places we’ve been and the people we’ve met. I thought for this month to take step back and let my crew tell you some of their best moments from the water trails season. Read More

After 11 years as executive director, Len Price has announced he will retire from Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa at the end of the year. Price has guided the organization since 2005, just two years after it transitioned from the Minnesota DNR to a nonprofit.  Read More

With only two months left in the term (crazy, right?), I thought I would use my last two blog posts to share some of the most memorable experiences I have had as a Youth Outdoors crew member. Looking back, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to work alongside youth crews in Saint Paul. It has been great getting to know three different groups of kids, learning about their interests and backgrounds and getting the chance to teach them about leadership, culture and the environment. Read More

Volunteers contribute so much to the conservation of our natural resources. Thanks to 25 folks who showed up on a rainy Friday afternoon to make seed bombs at REI in Roseville, and to four Youth Outdoors crews who worked with volunteers at Hidden Falls Regional Park to celebrate National Public Lands Day, September 26.  Read More

The ink was flowing along with the beer at the Conservation Corps fundraiser on Thursday, September 24, held at Flat Earth Brewing Company in Saint Paul. Twin City Tees (they print shirts for Rhymesayers, so you know they’re cool) brought screen printing equipment and fresh shirt designs so attendees could pick their shirt, watch it being printed and make a contribution to the Corps.  Read More

During July and August, Corps crews worked with the Bureau of Reclamation in the Dakotas to restore reservoirs and canals that are vital to the region’s water supply, agricultural industry and outdoor recreational opportunities, and to build and repair fencing and gates. Crews worked in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation Dakota Area Office and the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, who provided training and mentorship. Read More

On September 12, a crowd gathered at at Fritz Loven Park near Brainerd to help install a memorial bench in honor of Caitlin Daudt, a 2014 Corps apprentice. Daudt died last summer in a vehicle collision while on her way to serve at her host site, Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District. She was an exemplary member of Conservation Corps. Her life and work spoke volumes about the passion she had for service, the environment and the people of her community.  Read More

Terrific weather graced this year’s Minnesota State Fair, and we greeted hundreds of fairgoers who stopped by our booth across from the DNR fishpond to hear about our work, connect with alumni and learn about invasive species.  Read More